MANSFIELD, Conn. – One never knows what twists and turns each season, or run to a championship, might take.  Sometimes you can take it from wire-to-wire, as the Keene State College field hockey team has done in the past, particularly in a run of six straight titles in the mid-2010s.  Sometimes you can shake off a slow start and charge to the finish.  Sometimes you could gain revenge on an opponent for an earlier loss along the way.  Sometimes you see your season's life flash before your eyes yet survive.  Nonetheless, all those different situations require toughness and teamwork to get the job done.  And the Keene State College field hockey team did on Saturday – again.  Meghan Daileanes scored what turned out to be the only goal of the game by knocking home a rebound off a penalty corner with 12:37 left as the Owls won their league record 16th Little East Conference championship, beating Eastern Connecticut State University 1-0 at Rick McCarthy Field in a defensive battle.

KSC (15-6) completed a run to back-to-back titles, defending their 2024 crown with another road victory in the final – this one of a different type.  Last year, KSC allowed a goal 2:49 in before answering with three goals in eight minutes in the first period in an eventual 3-2 win at Vermont State University Castleton, avenging a 6-1 regular season loss at Dave Wolk Stadium.  Sweet revenge was again on the Owls' minds today, as Eastern (12-9) handed Keene State their only conference loss of the season with a 4-2 win at the Owl Athletic Complex on Senior Day October 18.  Mission accomplished.

The Owls posted their fourth shutout of the season – two coming in the last four games, both authored by freshman goalkeeper Molly Diamondstein – and now have another LEC trophy to fit in their case joining 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2024.

Daileanes, a junior and the team's second leading scorer, made her 11th goal of the season one of the biggest of her career.  Grace Seabury moved up the left side and into the circle, creating a corner chance which began with Daileanes inserting a pass to Elyse Picard who rifled a shot from the top of the circle that Hannah Jalowiec kicked out.  However, the ball deflected in traffic and to Daileanes who gathered and made no mistake, scoring less than 10 feet from where she made the initial pass.  The Londonderry, N.H. native has 25 goals over her last 44 games, including scoring in three of the last four games this season.  She has five goals since October 11 and KSC is now 9-1 in the 10 games she has scored in this campaign.

The opportunity came in a game where chances at goal were extremely limited, with both teams combining for just 18 shots and 11 on target.  A scoreless first half saw the teams even in shots at 3-3.  But KSC had the better of the play late in the third, including a shot by Norah Bargatti in the 40th minute that went wide, an unsuccessful corner 30 seconds later, and a shot by Emma Bazin that went wide with 3:05 left.  That momentum eventually paid off, as good things come to those who wait.

KSC still had 12 minutes to go to lock down a league championship on the road for the third time, all since 2018 (the Owls last won a title at home in 2017).  Right after the goal, they had chances to extend the lead but two corners resulted in only a Grace Bazin shot that was stopped by Jalowiec with 11:15 left.

The Owls then weathered a major Eastern push, stifling five penalty corners for the home team in the final 10 minutes, with Diamondstein – who made her first career start as a rookie five games ago – standing tall and making three saves down the stretch.  She denied Ada Ellis with 9:15 left, Jenna Boardman with 7:09 to go, and Sophie Ash with 2:48 left.  The Warriors had two subsequent corners after that, but KSC warded them off without allowing a shot.  Diamondstein improved to an impressive 4-1 with two shutouts, and now two postseason wins including one on the road in the championship.  She has made 30 saves in those five games, including 11 in a strong effort in the lone loss at Roger Williams University – a team that fell in overtime at No. 8 Endicott College today in their league championship game.

Eastern's leading scorer Emma Sanson (15 goals, five assists) was held to just two shot attempts, a big difference from three weeks ago when she was scoreless but landed five on target and helped free up her supporting cast.  The Warriors also played from in front in the regular season meeting, but today KSC killed three first quarter ECSU corners and then held the hosts shotless in the second.

"The game was the hard-fought defensive battle you would expect in a championship game," said Owls head coach Amy Watson – the KSC Hall of Famer who made her 514th career victory among the sweetest.  "I think both teams played very well, we were just able to capitalize on a great rebound opportunity after an initial corner shot.  We got strong performances from some of our bench players.  I think being able to use that depth helped us stay a step ahead."

KSC was coming off a not-soon-to-be-forgotten 3-2 penalty shootout semifinal win over the University of Southern Maine on Thursday, a game in which the Owls trailed 2-0 entering the fourth quarter and were desperately fighting for their season.  Bazin, the national leader in goals, rescued KSC by converting a penalty stroke with 13 seconds left and then ultimately scored the clincher in the shootout.

Less than 48 hours later, there were no signs of tired Owl legs, as they pitched their first road shutout of the season at just the right time.

"I am really proud of the way we persevered in both the semifinals and in the championship game," added Watson.  "We fought to the bitter end in both."

The end is now not near for KSC, who will see where the road will next take them when the NCAA tournament bracket is revealed on the selection show tomorrow night (Sunday, November 9) at 9:00 p.m. on NCAA.com.

Game notes: ...the Owls have now won 57 percent of Little East tournaments (16 of 28) since the first one in 1998...KSC is 27-6 against Eastern Connecticut including a 12-3 road record and 4-1 postseason record...KSC also gained revenge for a 1-0 championship game loss to Eastern in 2021, a game in which the Owls had an 11-5 advantage in shots and 18-4 in penalty corners...ten of ECSU's 21 games this year were decided by one goal (4-6)...Grace Bazin was held off the scoresheet for just the second time this season; she will enter the NCAA tournament with 37 goals and eight assists...KSC will be making their 16th NCAA tournament appearance, having made the second round in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2018...the Owls improved to 58-11 (.841) in the LEC tournament all-time...field hockey joined KSC's women's golf and men's cross country teams to win Little East Conference championships this fall.